Running Through The Rain
by SaturnNights
Summary: No one knows who he is, but Ruby is determined to find out. To many he's just another nameless face passing by, but everyone has a story and his was going to be told.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my newest story. Thank you for checking it out. This one is a bit different, but I hope you'll like it.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

It seemed just like any other day, at least from Ruby's perspective.

As she walked down the street towards the arcade, that winter afternoon, the rain had started pour, falling heavily down onto the ground.

As she reached for her umbrella, she gasped in shock as someone collided with her, causing her to fall down into a puddle.

"I am so sorry." The guy apologized, worriedly.

"Are you okay?" He asked, as he helped her back onto her feet.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Ruby said.

As Ruby stood up, she took a look at who had accidentally ran into her.

He was taller than her, he had messy blonde hair which almost covered his eyes, an old hoodie and a pair of worn out jeans.

From the way he looked, he could pass for someone homeless or someone Qrow would hang out with at a bar.

"Well, it was nice meeting you." The guy exclaimed.

With those words, the blonde haired guy broke into a sprint, running down the street as the rain continued to fall.

_"That was weird." Ruby thought._

_"He probably just wants to get out of the rain as quick as he can." Ruby thought._

Ruby shrugged it off and picked up her unbrella, opening it as she made her way to her destination.

_"Arcade, here I come!" Ruby thought, excitedly._

* * *

**Later.**

As Ruby walked in, she immediately saw the familiar sight of Sun flirting with Blake.

"If you keep doing that while you're supposed to be working, they'll fire you." Ruby said, teasingly.

"But you wouldn't tell them that, would you?" Sun rhetorically asked, as he handed her some extra tokens for the machines.

Ruby smiled and walked over to the cabinet where Weiss and Yang were waiting for her.

"It's about time you showed up." Weiss said.

"Sorry, the rain made it a bit more difficult to get here, plus I ran into someone." Ruby said.

_"More like they ran into me, but whatever." Ruby thought._

"Who was it?" Yang asked.

"Just some guy." Ruby said.

Yang's expression immediately turned into a smirk, upon hearing Ruby's words.

Ruby noticed this and started to panic.

"Not like that, Yang!" Ruby shouted.

"You never know." Yang teased her.

"Anyway, we didn't really talk, he was just running and accidentally crashed into me." Ruby explained.

"That's rude of him." Weiss said.

"He was probably just in a rush." Ruby said.

"That's not an excuse, did he at least apologize?" Weiss questioned.

"Yes, he said he was sorry and then ran off." Ruby told them.

Both Weiss and Yang looked at Ruby, confusion being their main feeling at the moment.

"I don't know why, but for some reason this guy seems sketchy." Yang said.

"Did you get his name?" Weiss asked.

"No, he helped me up and took off before I could even say anything." Ruby said.

"Well, what did he look like?" Weiss asked.

As Ruby was describing his appearance, looks of realization appeared on their faces.

"You actually met him?" Yang asked.

"Who is him?" Ruby asked.

"No one really knows." Weiss told her.

"No one knows his name or even where he lives, it's like he just shows up out of thin air." Yang told her.

"Basically, whenever it rains, he shows up, running through town, always wearing the same clothes." Yang told her.

Ruby was surprised by this new information, curiosity beginning to form in her mind.

"No one has thought to even talk to him?" Ruby asked.

"I tried once, a few of my friends did too." Yang said.

"But he never stops running, even in traffic, he makes his way through and never acknowledges anyone." Weiss told her.

"You said he actually stopped and talked to you?" Yang questioned.

"Yeah, like I said, he apologized, helped me up then ran away." Ruby said.

"I wonder why he stopped for you." Weiss said.

Ruby took a moment to think about it before making her decision.

"Well, I'm gonna find out." Ruby said.

"What?" Both Weiss and Yang asked, at the same time.

"You said he that he shows up whenever it rains, right?" Ruby pointed out.

"So, next time it rains, I'm gonna follow him." Ruby told them.

"Ruby, that's crazy, you don't even know where he'll be." Weiss said.

"True, but eventually I'll run into him again and besides that, don't you think it's odd that there is some guy running around and no one knows anything, even at this point?" Ruby questioned them.

While they did agree with her, they were still concerned about her safety.

"Alright, fine, but when you do this, I'm going with you." Yang said.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"I don't even trust a normal guy to be alone with you, do you really think I'm gonna trust this guy?" Yang pointed out.

Ruby nodded in agreement, knowing all about Yang's protective nature.

"What're you ladies talking about?" Sun asked.

Ruby flinched in surprise, not noticing that Sun and Blake had joined them.

"How Ruby is basically stalking someone." Weiss said.

"I am not!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Ruby is planning on following that blonde guy, the one that shows up when it rains." Yang explained.

"That guy?!" Sun shouted.

"You know him?" Ruby asked.

"I've seen him a few times, I tried to outrun him once, but he got away, the guy is fast." Sun told them.

"Ruby." Blake spoke up.

Ruby looked at Blake, becoming confused as she saw the look on Blake's face.

Blake's eyes indicated worry, while her cheeks were red from her blushing.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Blake said.

"Neither do I, but you know how she is, always set in her ways." Weiss said.

Blake sighed, looking away from them for just a moment, as feelings of dread set in.

_"It was only a matter of time." Blake thought._


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank you all for the support you've shown. I've been having a little writer's block and seeing all the support, definitely helped. I hope you like the story and without further ado, let's continue.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

A couple of days had passed by, bringing sunshine instead of the rain, Ruby had been hoping for.

Even with this in mind, Ruby still brought her umbrella with her each time she went out, hoping it would help.

As she awoke that morning, she rushed to the window, sighing as she saw not even one cloud in the sky.

_"Well, there's always tomorrow." Ruby thought._

Ruby looked over at the clock, realizing she was already late for school.

Ruby rushed through the house, quickly getting dressed and grabbing her backpack.

As Ruby ran out of the house, she slammed the door shut, unknowingly waking someone up.

Yang jolted awake at the sound of the door shutting, rubbing her eyes to help remove her blurred vision.

"Ruby?" Yang called out.

Yang got out of bed to check on Ruby, finding the bed was empty.

Yang went into the living room, to see that Ruby's backpack was gone.

Putting two and two together, Yang slightly chuckled.

_"I wonder how long it'll take before she realizes that it's Saturday." Yang thought._

As Yang was about to go back to bed, she noticed something by the front door.

_"That's weird, I guess she forgot her umbrella." Yang thought._

* * *

**Later.**

Ruby scowled as she saw that the gate was closed.

As she finally remembered what day it was, she berated herself for her actions and the fact that she would have to walk all the way back home.

Ruby groaned from exhaustion, walking away from the school, towards her home.

As she was walking down the street, she stopped in her tracks as she felt something on her skin.

Looking at her arm, she noticed a few drops of water.

She looked up, seeing that clouds had begun to form and that light rain had begun to fall.

Ruby reached out to grab her umbrella, her eyes widening as she realized it wasn't there.

_"Really?!" Ruby mentally shouted._

With the rain starting to become heavier, her textbooks weighing her down and her legs tired from running, Ruby's walk became much more of a trek.

Despite her seemingly unlucky day, there would be a silver lining.

The sound of footsteps against the drenched ground alerted Ruby.

As she looked up, she gasped as she saw who she had been looking for over the previous couple of days.

It was him, the blonde guy had shown up.

_"Why only when it rains?" Ruby wondered._

He seemed to know when it was going to rain.

_"Is it a coincidence?" Ruby questioned._

_"Or is he like this all the time?" Ruby thought._

Ruby knew that she couldn't catch up to him in her current state, so she did the only thing that she could.

"Hey!" Ruby called out.

Being the only person close by, the guy turned only for a second to look at who it was.

As soon as he saw, he looked away and kept on running.

But Ruby noticed something, a small detail that someone would usually miss.

Since she was so focused on him, she noticed that he had dropped something.

Making her way across the street, she picked up the item in question.

_"A wallet." Ruby thought._

Ruby smiled, as she finally had a breakthrough in her endeavor.

Opening the wallet, she saw that it was almost empty, save for his identification.

"Jaune Arc." Ruby read his name aloud.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Jaune ran as fast as he could, looking behind him every few minutes to see if that girl was nearby him.

_"I don't think she's following me, but it's still weird, seeing her this soon after last time." Jaune thought._

_"It's probably nothing, I just have to clear my mind and keep running." Jaune thought._

As he ran, he had reached his destination.

A location he had been to many times before.

Jaune made his way passed the old rusty gate, branches growing over it, effectively covering most of it up.

Jaune walked down trail, his footsteps imprinting into the mud, right beside his previous footprints from other times he had made his way down there.

The trail ended, giving way to a small area.

Jaune looked down, sadly smiling as he saw what was still there.

A makeshift flag, made from a mere stick and his old hoodie from his childhood.

Jaune was always amazed that it still stood there after all these years.

Through the various storms, it remained there, untouched.

A tear made its way down Jaune's face, blending in with the raindrops.

Jaune fell to his knees as his emotions got the better of him, as they did so many times before and probably would afterward.

"I'm sorry." Jaune whimpered.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Jaune had returned home, looking over his shoulder one more time as he reached the front door.

_"I lost her earlier, she wouldn't have been able to follow me." He tried to convince himself._

As he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he picked up his mail.

_"Wow, nothing but junk mail, what a surprise." Jaune thought, sarcastically._

At this point in time, he didn't expect anyone to try and contact him anyway.

After his parents had divorced, taking his siblings away in the process, Jaune had chosen to live on his own, away from their toxic emotions that had taken their toll on him all throughout his life.

It had been a difficult decision for him, not really knowing if his life would have stability.

But at the end of the day, he knew staying with them would only cause him to struggle further and eventually break down.

He made his living by taking odd jobs around the city, not giving a name and only being paid in cash.

The jobs usually paid pretty well and living in a home with no heating or hot water certainly made it affordable.

Jaune sighed and threw the mail onto his couch, before heading to his room.

As Jaune walked in, he decided to take the contents from his pockets out.

Pulling out his scroll and his keys, he reached into his other pocket to get his wallet, only to find it completely empty.

His eyes opened wide at the realization of what had happened.

_"No." Jaune thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Ruby walked into her house, only to find a grinning Yang, watching a combat match.

"So, how was school?" Yang teased her.

"Very funny." Ruby said, sarcastically.

"By the way, you forgot your umbrella." Yang pointed out.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed when it started to rain." Ruby said.

Yang continued to watch the match for a couple of minutes before she noticed Ruby, who was looking intently at something in her hands.

"What's that?" Yang asked.

"Well, lucky for me, this day wasn't a total disaster." Ruby said.

"After it started to rain, that guy showed up again and a certain someone just happened to be there when he dropped his wallet." Ruby said.

Ruby then showed Yang the wallet and Yang wasn't exactly happy about it.

"Ruby, first of all, I told you not to pursue him without me around and second of all, you should've returned that by now." Yang told her.

"Come on, I will, I just wanted to know something about Jaune." Ruby said.

"Jaune?" Yang asked.

"That's his name, look." Ruby said.

Ruby showed her the identification, pointing out that he did in fact, live around there.

"This is perfect, all we have to do is go there, return the wallet and he'll be so grateful that he'll have to tell us everything we want to know." Ruby told her.

"Ruby, I think you're getting a little bit ahead of yourself." Yang said.

"Besides that, what if he doesn't believe that you just found it, he's already seen you twice, what if he thinks you're like a stalker or something?" Yang questioned.

Ruby pondered for a moment, worried that Yang was right.

"Okay, then what if you return it?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't know you and you're a lot stronger than me, so if anything happens, you can handle it, easily." Ruby pointed out.

Yang thought about it for a moment, knowing Ruby had some good points.

Either way, the wallet did have to be returned and her going alone was her best bet on dealing with the two of them.

"Fine, I'll wait for the rain to slow down and then I'll head out." Yang told her.

"You're the best." Ruby said.

"I know." Yang said.

* * *

**Later.**

Yang sighed, wishing the rain had subsided earlier.

But she had promised Ruby that she would go return the wallet and she was a woman of her word.

As Yang drove down the road on her motorcycle, the chill in the night air had gotten to her, causing her to shiver.

"The things I do for people." Yang said.

Eventually, she reached her destination, smirking as she saw the run down house at the end of the street.

"A creepy, old house… this is totally going to end well." Yang said, sarcastically.

Yang slowly approached the house and knocked on the door, mentally preparing herself for the situation.

_"All I have to do is tell him that my sister found the wallet and then I leave, that's it." Yang thought._

The door slowly opened, creaking as it did so, giving way to a tired looking Jaune standing there.

Unfortunately for Jaune, the dark of night had not done him justice and due to his disheveled look combined with the lightning storm, Yang was instantly terrified.

"Wallet!" Yang screamed.

Yang threw the wallet at him and ran back to her motorcycle, driving off as fast she could.

Jaune watched in confusion as he saw her drive off.

"Thank you." Jaune called out.

After this, Jaune closed the door and looked at his wallet, sighing with relief.

* * *

**Later.**

Yang had returned home, berating herself as she realized what had happened.

_"That was embarrassing." Yang thought._

Despite her calm demeanor, Yang had let her paranoia over Jaune get the better of her and as a result she reacted in a way that she never would have.

_"One thing is for sure, I can't let this get the better of me." Yang thought._

_"Tomorrow, I'm going back over there and talking to him, because if I'm gonna leave an impression, that's not gonna be it." Yang convinced herself._

After this, another bolt of lightning struck down.

_"Preferably, during the day." Yang thought._

It seemed that both Ruby and Yang had found a motivation for meeting with Jaune Arc.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Blake sat alone in her room as the lightning silhouetted her.

Tears ran down her face, dropping onto the picture frame that she had held in her hands.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Blake had tried to relax since the day Ruby had announced her intentions to figure out who the mystery guy really is, the results being mixed.

While Blake could still find some form of comfort in reading her books, the looming thought of seeing Jaune again would present itself constantly, stressing her out.

Blake looked at the picture frame that she held in her hands, the same one she had kept locked away in the attic since the last time she had seen Jaune.

"Nine years." Blake whispered.

Blake held back the remaining tears she had, remembering those two days that had changed her life.

It was both saddening and amusing how one picture could hold so many memories, some not always pleasant.

Blake sighed and set the picture frame on the dresser near her bed.

As she rested through the night, she would toss and turn in her sleep, whimpering words every once in awhile.

"My fault." Blake whimpered.

* * *

**Morning.**

Blake had agreed to meet up with Yang and Ruby, in order to discuss how they would approach Jaune.

Blake didn't know how, but they had apparently learned about his real name and where he currently lived.

_"Hopefully, I can dissuade them from pursuing this any further." Blake thought._

Blake had made it to their house, trying her hardest to disguise her anxiety, as she knocked on the front door.

The door opened to reveal, Yang.

"Hey, Blake, come on in." Yang welcomed her.

Blake obliged and stepped inside, seeing Ruby already excited to go.

"Alright, let's go!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Wait!" Blake unintentionally shouted.

Ruby and Yang winced at her sudden change in vocal intensity.

Blake was always the quiet one, even when she would get annoyed she would never raise her voice.

Blake covered her mouth, taking a moment to assess her current situation.

Blake took a breath and spoke up.

"I just don't think that he'd personally enjoy you two constantly showing up, he's already encountered Ruby twice and once he knows you two are related, he's going to know something is up." Blake told them.

Ruby sighed while Yang just had a smirk on her face.

"Maybe, but I returned his wallet last night, so he owes me, whether he knows it or not." Yang said.

_"So, that's how they figured out who he is and where he lives." Blake thought._

"All we're trying to do is get to know him." Ruby said.

"Listen, your intentions might be good, but he clearly doesn't wish to be disturbed, maybe you should just leave him alone." Blake suggested.

"I get that you're a bit distant from people, but you have to give them a chance, just like you gave us a chance and we became your friends." Ruby told her.

Blake wanted to respond to her statement but couldn't since she wished to avoid the subject of her past, entirely.

"Blake, I get that you're worried, but trust us, we know what we're doing and if he doesn't want to hang out, then that's it, we call it a day." Yang said.

_"You have no idea." Blake thought._

Blake looked at the two of them, guilt present in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I can't go with you." Blake said.

With that, Blake walked out the door.

* * *

**Later.**

Blake returned home, with a part of her wishing that she had gone with them.

But, she knew she couldn't face him, not after all she had done to him.

Blake had thought about contacting him, a few times over the years, always afraid of what the consequences would be.

Blake went to her room and rested on her bed.

She had always been tired, even with the amount of sleep she had gotten, no matter how much, she would always drift off.

Blake looked over at her dresser, taking one more look at the picture, before her eyes shut.

Staring back at her before she had fallen asleep, were the three people in the photograph.

The picture had been taken in the woods, the three of them standing by a makeshift flag made from the boy's hoodie.

Standing there, smiling for the photo, were two girls, one with dark hair and the other with red hair.

The other person was a blonde boy, pointing to the flag he had made.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Jaune had decided to stay home that day,

While it was cloudy, no rain had fallen and the lightning had been intense.

As Jaune exited the bathroom, he heard a strange noise, coming from his room.

Jaune slowly approached the doorway, the grumbles of people's voices echoing throughout the empty house.

Jaune pressed his ear up against his bedroom door in order to hear.

Meanwhile, in the room, Ruby and Yang were quietly arguing with each other.

"I told you we should've just knocked on the door and asked to come in, normally." Yang whispered.

"You told me that the last time you did that, you ended up screaming in terror and running away." Ruby pointed out.

"I should've never told you about that." Yang said, while gritting her teeth.

"Well, you did." Ruby said, with an attitude in her tone.

"The point is, we shouldn't be breaking and entering." Yang said.

"It's only entering, it's not like we've broken anything." Ruby pointed out.

As if on cue, Ruby leaned against a desk, knocking down a picture frame.

"You were saying?" Yang asked, with a smug grin on her face.

"Just help me clean this up before he realizes we're here." Ruby said.

As Ruby says this, the door opens to reveal Jaune, glaring at them.

"Too late." Jaune said.

The two of them look at Jaune, in horror, afraid of how he might react to their intrusion.

"So, which one of you wants to tell me what you're doing here?" Jaune asked.

Ruby and Yang immediately pointed at each other and then began to argue about who would tell him.

Jaune groaned and rolled his eyes, out of irritation.

"This is gonna be a long day." Jaune said.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Ruby and Yang took a seat on Jaune's living room couch as Jaune sat on a chair, facing them.

"Now, if you two are done bickering, maybe one of you can explain what you're doing in my house." Jaune said.

As the two were about to speak again, Jaune had anticipated more bickering between the two of them.

"Hold it!" Jaune shouted.

The two stopped in their tracks, becoming quiet within a second.

Jaune sighed and pointed at Ruby.

"You." Jaune said.

"Well, it's partially my fault." Ruby said.

Yang faked the sound of her clearing her throat, to contradict Ruby.

"Okay, mostly my fault." Ruby said.

"The reason we're here is because, I wanted to know more about you." Ruby said.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Well… why do you always go out running when it rains?" Ruby asked.

_"So, that's what this is about." Jaune thought._

_"I'll give her one thing, no one has ever gone this far." Jaune thought._

"That's personal." Jaune said.

"I know, but I was thinking that maybe we could talk and get to know you, that way you won't weird people out so much." Ruby said.

Jaune's expression turned cold as he heard the words leave Ruby's mouth, tired of the same old reaction and point of view that people had towards him.

"Wait, that came out wrong!" Ruby exclaimed.

"No, on the contrary, you said what you meant." Jaune said.

Jaune stood up and walked towards the front door, opening it and gesturing towards outside.

"Please leave." Jaune said.

"Jaune, she just wants to be friendly and help you." Yang told him.

Jaune glared at the two of them, mildly insulted at her statement.

_"They're just like everyone else, they only want to see that fake smile." Jaune thought._

_"They think they can just barge in here and demand that I tell them about my life?" Jaune questioned._

_"You're just a means to an end, once they're done they'll just forget about you or toss you aside." Jaune convinced himself._

_"You can't trust them." Jaune thought._

Jaune was growing frustrated, but he still held some respect for them, despite what he believed their intentions were.

"I'm sorry." Jaune apologized.

"I'm only going to ask you this one more time, please leave." Jaune said.

Yang stood up and looked down at Ruby.

"Come on, let's go." Yang said.

Ruby obliged and the two of them walked out.

As Jaune was shutting the door, he heard something that caught his interest.

"I guess Blake was right." Ruby said.

Jaune pulled the door wide open and called out to them.

"Hey." Jaune called out.

The two of them turned to look at him.

"Did you just say, Blake?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, why?" Yang asked.

"What's her last name?" Jaune asked.

Ruby and Yang looked at each other, curious as to why Jaune was asking about Blake.

"Belladonna." Ruby said.

Jaune's subtly gasped as his eyes widened before regaining his composure a moment later.

Jaune immediately ran back to his house, returning a moment later with a picture in his hands.

"It was in the picture frame that Ruby knocked down." Jaune said.

As Ruby and Yang looked at the picture, Jaune's train of thought shifted towards mixed emotions.

_"I can't trust them, but this may be the only chance I have to get some answers." Jaune thought._

"You knew Blake?" Ruby asked.

Jaune took the picture back and sighed.

"What do you want to know?" Jaune asked.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

"Hey, Blake, are you okay?" Sun asked.

Blake blinked a couple of times as she awoke from her daydreaming.

"What?" Blake asked.

"You just seem so… distant." Sun said.

"Sorry, I'm just worried about Ruby and Yang." Blake partially told the truth.

"Relax, Yang is pretty much the strongest person we know, they'll be fine." Sun tried to assure her.

_"That's not what I'm worried about." Blake thought._

Sun carefully wrapped his arm around her and moved in closer.

Blake mentally sighed, as she tried to find some form of comfort from him.

Unfortunately for her, there was nothing there.

She had always liked Sun, turning to him for a source of positivity.

But Blake's interest had never gone beyond thinking of him as a friend.

She couldn't be close to him as anything more.

After all, the last time she had felt that way about someone, it didn't end well.

* * *

**Later.**

As Blake walked into her room, she was greeted to a serious looking Yang.

"Yang, what are you doing here?" Blake asked.

Yang stood there with her arms crossed for a moment, then pulled something out of her pocket.

Yang unfolded the paper, revealing the photo to Blake.

Blake gasped out of shock, recognizing the photo as an identical one to her own.

The same photo of her and Jaune from when they were younger.

"Where did you get that?" Blake asked, in horror.

Blake knew deep down what the answer would be, but she could hardly process the situation as it was.

Yang simply took in a breath and placed the photo on Blake's bed.

"We need to have a talk." Yang said.

* * *

**Flashback to nine years ago.**

"That's never gonna stay here, it'll get blown away from the wind." Blake said.

Jaune carefully tied his hoodie to the stick he had planted into the ground.

"Maybe, but it's still worth it." Jaune said.

Blake rolled her eyes and smiled from Jaune's positive nature.

"Hey." Someone called out to them.

The two of them turned around to see their friend, Pyrrha.

"Hey, did you bring it?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, the film is ready to go." Pyrrha said.

Pyrrha pulled out a camera from her bag and set it up, aiming it at the three of them and making sure the flag would be in the shot.

"I'll have my parents make a copy for each of us." Pyrrha told them.

"Great." Jaune said.

As the timer on the camera counted down, it finally reached zero, capturing that moment in time, forever.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

As Blake's flashback ended, reality had set back in.

Yang had confronted Blake about the photograph and the whole situation between her and Jaune.

The sudden shock had been too much for her and at that moment, she began to have a panic attack.

Yang had done her best to comfort her, not wanting to push the issue so far that it would traumatize Blake.

Blake knew that the subject could no longer be avoided and as she sat there in Yang's embrace, she wondered about how much Jaune had told them.

_"He doesn't know about what happened… right?" Blake questioned._

After a period of time, Blake finally spoke up.

"If you want to know, I'll tell you, but please… just give me some time." Blake requested.

Yang nodded, in understanding.

However, Yang was still curious about what really went down between Jaune and Blake after only getting half of the story.

* * *

**Earlier that day.**

After Jaune had shown both Ruby and Yang the photograph, he invited them back into his house.

As they sat down on the couch, Jaune turned to face them, looking at them with both worry and hesitation in his expression.

"Growing up, Blake was my best friend… my only friend, really." Jaune began his story.

Ruby and Yang sat there, hanging of his every word in anticipation for answers.

"Our families were close so we naturally saw each other a lot." Jaune said.

"Blake and I were inseparable." Jaune said.

"About a year before that photo was taken, we met Pyrrha, the other girl in that photo." Jaune said.

"She was really shy, especially around me, but eventually we started hanging out more often and eventually we became friends with her." Jaune said.

Jaune smiled for a moment, as he remembered first meeting her.

Then, after a minute, his expression turned to one of sadness.

"About a few weeks after that photo was taken, we all agreed to meet out there in the woods." Jaune said.

"I remember that day, the rain was basically pouring down and the thunder was so loud it shook the house." Jaune said.

"My parents told me that I couldn't go out, but I promised Pyrrha that I would." Jaune said.

Tears started to fall from Jaune's eyes and his voice was starting to become more strained as he tried to finish his story.

"I begged them to let me go, but it was no use, they kept me from leaving." Jaune said.

"I woke up the next morning, hoping that I could apologize to Pyrrha, for not being able to show up." Jaune said.

Jaune started to look ill as he struggled to get his next words out.

"But I couldn't." Jaune said.

Jaune trembled as the next words left his mouth.

"She was dead." Jaune said.

Ruby and Yang looked at him with both sympathy and concern.

"The authorities informed us that morning, she had slipped and fallen into the river… she didn't make it." Jaune said.

Jaune wiped away the tears on his face and started sniffling as the memories overwhelmed him.

It was at this point, Jaune began to break down, placing his hand against a mantel to keep himself from dropping.

Ruby immediately went to comfort him, only helping slightly since she was so awkward in these types of situations.

Jaune didn't seem to mind, even finding her to be pleasant.

"Thank you." Jaune whimpered.

After a few minutes, Jaune managed to regain some of his composure and finish the story.

"Pyrrha's funeral was the last day that I saw Blake, she couldn't even look at me." Jaune said.

"After that, I never saw her again." Jaune said.

"As for why I go out when it rains, I vowed that no matter what, that I would put everything aside and keep my promise from that day." Jaune told them.

"I go there, for Pyrrha." Jaune said.

As his story concluded, there were mixed emotions present.

Understanding was the main one, but there was also grief.

Yang stood up, looked him dead in the eye and simply took the photo.

Yang folded it up and put it in her pocket.

"Don't worry, I'm just borrowing it." Yang said.

* * *

**The next day.**

Blake had woken up that morning, feeling no better than she did the previous day.

Blake sighed, knowing her confrontation was on the horizon.

Blake cleaned herself up and headed outside, wasting no time in heading for her destination.

_"It's inevitable, I just have to tell him the truth." Blake thought._

_"I can't live like this anymore, I've ignored it for too long." Blake thought._

Blake briskly walked down the street, not noticing that she had attracted the attention of two of her friends.

"Where's Blake going?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know, but I've got a good feeling where she might be going." Yang said.

"Come on, let's follow her." Yang said.

As Blake made her way towards the suburban area, she texted Yang.

_"Where does Jaune live?" Yang read the text._

Yang smirked and replied with his location.

Blake texted a thank you in response and proceeded towards the house.

Blake slowly made her way towards the front door and took a deep breath.

_"Even if he hates me, now or afterwards, it's better that he knows." Blake thought._

The front door slowly opened, revealing someone who Blake instantly recognized.

Years later and she'd still know Jaune from just a glimpse.

Jaune gasped as he saw who was in front of him, standing there, staring back.

"Blake?" Jaune said, in shock.

"Hello, Jaune." Blake said.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

To say that Jaune and Blake's current situation at the moment was awkward, would be an understatement.

After allowing her into his home, Jaune began to make tea to comfort them from the cold.

"Thank you." Blake said, as Jaune handed her the cup.

Jaune nodded and grabbed a chair to sit down, facing Blake.

As Blake nervously sipped her tea, she would glance at Jaune every other second, anxiety taking its toll on her.

After just sitting there in silence for what seemed like a long time, Jaune finally spoke up.

"So… ." Jaune trailed off.

"How've you been?" Jaune asked.

Jaune mentally cringed, clearly not liking his choice of question.

"You couldn't have come up with something better?!" Jaune mentally berated himself.

"I've been alright." Blake answered.

"Good." Jaune blurred out, awkwardly.

A couple more minutes of silence followed, unknowingly broken by quiet voices coming from outside.

"What are they saying now?" Ruby whispered.

"Nothing, they aren't saying anything." Yang whispered.

"Do you think we should help?" Ruby asked.

"No, this is something Blake has to do for herself." Yang told her.

With that, a moment later, Blake had decided that it was time to come clean and tell Jaune the whole story.

"Jaune." Blake said.

Jaune looked at Blake, his focus almost completely on her and the words she was speaking.

"Before I tell you why I'm here, I have to apologize." Blake said.

"I neglected you and ran away when you needed me to be there and for that I am truly sorry." Blake apologized.

"I know you probably won't forgive me, but I needed to say it, as well as what I'm about to tell you." Blake said.

Blake sighed, looked at Jaune one more time before closing her eyes and started her story.

"Do you remember that day… when we were supposed to meet up in the woods?" Blake asked.

_"All too well." Jaune thought._

Despite his thought, Jaune didn't speak, simply letting Blake continue on.

"I had shown up first, Pyrrha arrived a little bit later." Blake said.

"We waited a little while for you but after you hadn't shown up, we decided to just go on our own." Blake told him.

"When we got there, the rain had already made everything slippery, but… I was so stubborn and naïve, I thought it would be alright." Blake said.

"I started climbing up a tree, to get a view of the town like we always did." Blake said.

Blake started welling up, doing whatever she could to hold the tears back.

"Pyrrha tried to talk me out of it, she said it was dangerous." Blake said.

"I should've listened to her." Blake said.

"I reached for a branch, but as I went to move, it broke off." Blake said.

Blake's breathing began to grow heavier as she remembered the experience.

"I clung on to the tree and I couldn't look down, I only heard Pyrrha shouting at me to hang on and that she would help me get down." Blake told him.

"I kept my eyes closed and the next thing I knew, I was falling." Blake said.

"I hurt my leg after I landed on the ground, but I had made it down." Blake said.

"I went to thank Pyrrha, but… she didn't answer." Blake said.

"I looked around, trying to see if she had gotten down or if she was still in the tree… that's when I saw her." Blake told him.

Blake couldn't hold back any longer and started to let her tears fall.

"It was my fault, she died trying to save me." Blake said, through her sobbing.

It was as if in that moment, Jaune's perspective had become more clear but somehow all the more dreadful.

He finally understood why Blake had avoided him and left him alone after all these years, seeing that she had felt responsible for the tragedy due to her actions.

But while he did understand, Jaune could not bring himself to speak to her or comfort her despite how much he had wanted to.

Jaune could forgive her, but to have her back in his life was a complicated decision that couldn't be made in just a moment.

Jaune simply stood up, walked to the front door and opened it.

Blake looked up and saw Jaune, hiding his eyes behind his hair to avoid eye contact.

Blake wasn't sure if he was angry or upset, but knew that leaving would be for the best.

As Blake made her way out, Jaune spoke one sentence before closing the door.

"Give me some time." Jaune said.

As Blake watched the door close, she wiped away the tears on her face.

Blake was both hopeful and terrified upon hearing those words.

As Blake walked away, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye.

Blake sighed, recognizing that bright blonde hair anywhere.

"I take it you two heard everything." Blake stated, in an unamused tone.

Both Yang and Ruby slowly walked out towards her, with embarrassment in their expressions.

"Yeah, so… I guess this changes things for you two." Yang said.

Blake couldn't respond, not sure of anything at the moment.

"It wasn't your fault." Ruby said.

Ruby held on to Blake's hand.

"You made a mistake, but you didn't know, you couldn't have known." Ruby said.

Ruby didn't know why but she felt that she had to reassure Blake at this moment.

"This Pyrrha girl sounds amazing… do you mind if you tell us about her?" Ruby asked.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

The local café was practically empty, save for Yang, Blake, Ruby, a waitress and a lone cook.

Blake nervously stirred her coffee as their waitress, Velvet set down Ruby and Yang's orders.

"Thanks, Velvet." Ruby said.

"No problem, Ren said that it's on the house." Velvet told them.

As Velvet smiled and walked away, Blake sighed, partially wishing that she had stayed in order to change their conversation and avoid any further discussion about Pyrrha.

While Blake could reminisce and look back at her time with Pyrrha in a positive light, there was still the inevitable end, which would cause her distress.

However, Blake had already managed to put on a brave face and confront it earlier that day, what was one more time?

"It sounds like the three of you were close." Ruby said.

"Yeah, they were pretty much the only friends I had, it would be a few years before I could make another friend." Blake said, looking up at Yang as she finished talking.

Blake was grateful to Yang for helping her to trust and break her out of her shell.

From there her friendship with Yang would lead to meeting Ruby, Weiss and of course, Sun.

"So, do you think Jaune will forgive you?" Yang asked.

Blake thought about it for a moment, remembering how Jaune had reacted after she had told him the truth.

_"Give me some time." Jaune's words echoed throughout her mind._

"I'm not sure, I couldn't tell how he felt." Blake said.

"I'm sure he will, he seems like a nice guy." Ruby said.

"You barely know him." Yang pointed out.

"True, but he doesn't seem like someone who can hold a grudge." Ruby said.

"You'd be surprised." Blake said.

* * *

**Later.**

As the three of them exited the café, they were approached by none other than Sun.

"Hey, I've been trying to call you for awhile, how'd it go with that Jaune guy?" Sun asked them.

Ruby, Blake and Yang all exchanged looks, hesitant in telling Sun about any of the details.

"It went fine." Ruby said, with an awkward grin on her face.

Sun looked at her in confusion, before Yang quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, why don't you two head down to the arcade?" Yang asked.

Yang pulled out some lien and handed it to Ruby.

"Get us some tokens and we'll meet you down there in a bit." Yang said.

Yang subtly winked at Ruby and Ruby got the message.

"Come on Sun, you owe me a rematch anyway." Ruby said.

"You're on." Sun exclaimed.

As Ruby and Sun walked away, Yang turned to look at Blake and smirked.

"What do you see in him anyway?" Yang asked, playfully giggling.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Oh come on, you two are basically dating." Yang said.

"Sorry Yang, but it's not like that." Blake told her.

"Sure it isn't." Yang said, sarcastically.

"Trust me, it isn't, I just don't feel that way about him." Blake said.

"Really?" Yang asked.

"Yes, there's just nothing there, I haven't felt that way about anyone since… ." Blake stopped herself from speaking any further, realizing what she was about to say.

Yang's curiosity grew after Blake had stopped herself, surprised by Blake's sudden honesty about her feelings.

"Since?" Yang asked.

Yang looked at her with that intense expression that Blake knew all too well.

It was an expression that basically said that she wasn't going to let it go and she was going to get an answer no matter how long it would take.

"Since, Jaune." Blake said.

Yang's eyes widened in surprise, before her expression quickly changed to one of her usual teasing demeanor.

"Tell me everything." Yang said.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Jaune had been relying on sleep in order to handle the situation, thinking that maybe it could clear his head and put things into perspective.

Unfortunately for him, his nightmares were less than supportive.

Each time he had drifted off, his nightmare was always about Pyrrha from that day and him failing to save her.

Finally, after the day had passed by, Jaune gave up and decided to stay awake.

Despite his efforts or maybe a lack thereof, they only managed to have the opposite effect.

_"If I had been there, if I'd have just shown up, I could've saved her, I could've caught her and she'd still be here!" Jaune mentally berated himself._

Jaune had somehow managed to shift part of the blame to himself.

While a part of him knew that he was exaggerating, it seemed like his only option at the moment.

But as Jaune rested his head against his kitchen table, feeling both mentally and physically worn out, he realized that he had another option, one that he hadn't even considered until now.

Jaune stared at the phone which was sitting in the living room, the phone that hadn't ever received a call, not that he had expected anyone to call in the first place.

_"So much for never resorting that." Jaune thought._

Jaune sighed, stood up and made his way over to the phone.

As Jaune hesitantly dialed the number, he wondered if this would cause more trouble for him than good.

_"Just asked her not to say anything to them." Jaune convinced himself._

Jaune waited, hearing distant noises in the background of the call, then after a few seconds, a voice.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

Jaune stayed silent for a moment, trying to force himself to speak.

"Hello?" She said, again.

"Saphron?" Jaune said.

A few more seconds of silence followed, making Jaune wonder if she had hung up on him.

_"She's not still mad about me leaving, is she?" Jaune wondered._

After a few more seconds, Saphron spoke up again.

"Jaune?" Saphron said, with shock in her voice.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it had been her that had picked up the phone.

"I need your help." Jaune said.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

It had been a week since Jaune had put aside his convictions and made the call.

Needless to say, he was not looking forward to this day.

Jaune had agreed to meet up with her at a nearby café.

While he had no trouble with Saphron, Jaune had barely gone out in public at all, aside from when it rained.

_"It's alright, it's not like I have to be that social." Jaune tried to assure himself._

"Excuse me." Someone said.

Jaune flinched at the sudden presence of someone else.

_"I stand corrected." Jaune thought, as he turned around to look._

Standing before him was someone he vaguely remembered, a blonde guy who's name escaped him at the moment.

_"I've seen him before, I wonder what he wants." Jaune thought._

"Can I help you?" Jaune asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Sorry." Sun said, backing up a bit.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm just a bit stressed out." Jaune apologized.

"It's cool, anyway, I've been wanting to talk to you." Sun said.

"I'm Sun." Sun introduced himself.

"Jaune." Jaune replied.

"Yeah, I've heard a bit about you." Sun said.

_"I don't like the sound of that." Jaune thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

"So, still no word from Jaune?" Yang asked.

"I didn't expect him to respond soon anyway." Blake indirectly replied.

"Yeah, if you revealed something like that to me I'd probably need to take some time to think too." Yang said.

_"How comforting." Blake thought, sarcastically._

"Still it wasn't your fault so I don't think it'll ruin your chances of getting a date." Yang teased her.

"Yang, I told you before, I'm not interested in him that way anymore." Blake told her.

"Then why do you care so much about him calling you?" Yang questioned.

"Because… ." Blake trailed off.

Blake didn't really have an answer and she wasn't sure what the real reason was.

However, Blake was sure that she was telling Yang the truth.

"Look, it's been years, we're different than how we used to be and I don't even know him anymore." Blake told her.

Yang noticed that Blake grew sad as she said those last few words.

_"I'll just let it go for now." Yang thought._

As Yang tried to think of another subject, she pulled out the picture that she had borrowed from Jaune, which Blake immediately noticed.

"Why do you still have that?" Blake asked.

"I kind of forgot to give it back to him." Yang admitted, with an awkward chuckle.

Blake rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, knowing Yang all too well, she had come to expect this from her.

It was then and there that Yang got an idea.

"Come on." Yang said, as she stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Blake asked.

"We are going to give back this picture." Yang said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, with Ruby.**

As Ruby walked through town, making her way down each street, she thought about how much things had changed in such a short time.

_"A little while ago, I didn't even know Jaune and now I feel like I know so much about him." Ruby thought._

With Ruby lost in thought, she didn't take notice of what was in front of her or more specifically who was in front of her.

Ruby let out a noise as she bumped into someone.

"Sorry." Ruby said.

"It's alright." The woman said.

After rubbing her eyes, Ruby looked up to see a familiar face but someone who was not so familiar.

"Is something wrong?" The woman asked.

Ruby noticed the intense staring she was doing and quickly stopped.

"Sorry, it's just that you look a lot like this person I know." Ruby told her.

"Really and who would this person be?" The woman asked, with a smirk, as she clearly knew the answer.

"His name is Jaune." Ruby said.

"Yes, well, when you're in the same family you do tend to resemble each other a little." The woman joked.

_"Wait… what?!" Ruby thought, clearly surprised by the sudden statement._

"I'm Saphron Arc." Saphron introduced herself.

_"Just when I thought that I knew so much." Ruby thought._

"So, I take it that you two are friends?" Saphron asked.

"Yeah, kind of." Ruby said, in an embarrassed tone.

_"I'm just the girl who wandered into his life and pestered him until I learned more about him." Ruby thought._

"Well, I'm actually meeting up with him right now, do you wanna join us?" Saphron offered.

_"Do it!" Ruby mentally screamed, convincing herself._

"Alright, sure." Ruby said.

"Great, maybe you can tell me what he's been up to all these years." Saphron said.

_"Not likely." Ruby thought, awkwardly chuckling._

* * *

**Twenty minutes later.**

Ruby and Saphron had reached the café and as they approached the door, it flung open, revealing an angry looking blonde guy that Ruby knew all too well.

"Sun?" Ruby said.

Sun immediately stormed off, leaving the two of them shocked and confused.

"I take it that you know him?" Saphron said.

"Yeah, but he's usually not that angry." Ruby told her.

"I wonder what caused it." Saphron said.

Ruby and Saphron shrugged it off for the moment and entered the café, only to find the waitress handing Jaune an ice pack.

_"Why am I afraid to even ask?" Saphron thought, mentally sighing._


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Ruby and Saphron sat down in the booth, feeling a bit sorry for Jaune as he winced while applying the ice pack to his eye.

"I take it that you and Sun don't exactly see eye to eye." Saphron said.

"I didn't even really know the guy until like twenty minutes ago." Jaune said.

"I've never seen him like that though." Ruby said.

"What did you say to make him so mad?" Ruby questioned.

Jaune sighed, took a sip of his water and looked at Ruby with intense focus.

"I told him about what happened between Blake and I." Jaune admitted.

With that one statement, Ruby completely understood, though she was still hesitant on defending Sun's reaction.

"Blake… you mean that girl you used to hang out with until… you know?" Saphron asked.

"Yeah." Jaune said.

"That's part of the reason I called you and asked for your help." Jaune told her.

* * *

**Later.**

Their time at the café had been mostly silent after Jaune had told her about his intentions.

After they had eaten and left, Jaune asked Ruby if she could leave so that he could talk to Saphron, to which she obliged.

After Ruby had left, Jaune proceeded to tell Saphron of the few details he knew of Ruby's quest to find out who he was, Yang's involvement and Blake's confession.

Needless to say, Saphron's reaction was appropriately mixed, confusion being the most powerful emotion at the moment.

_"Wow, and I thought my life was complicated." Saphron thought._

"Jaune, I appreciate you calling me for help, but I'm not sure how I can." Saphron admitted.

"I'm not sure either, I guess it's just that, you've had the most experience with people and relationships, I thought even any piece of advice could help me out." Jaune said.

"I've never dealt with anything like this, but I can ask you a few things." Saphron said.

"For instance, do you hold any resentment towards Blake?" Saphron asked.

"Of course not." Jaune said.

"Do you blame her for what happened to Pyrrha?" Saphron asked.

"No." Jaune said.

"Are you upset that she neglected you and left you alone for all those years?" Saphron asked.

As Jaune was about to answer, he stopped, realizing the truth of where his hesitation and trust issues stemmed from.

"Yes." Jaune said, with a defeated tone in his voice.

"I know that she felt guilty and I feel sorry for her for having to keep that secret for all these years, but she still kept it a secret from me." Jaune admitted.

"I'm still not over losing Pyrrha and with this… I just don't know what to think or how to feel at all." Jaune told her.

Jaune's breathing started to grow heavier as he became more panicked.

"Jaune, calm down, it's alright." Saphron tried to calm him down.

As Jaune looked away, staring off into the distance, another blonde had decided to make an appearance.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier.**

As Ruby headed home, she did a double take as both Blake and Yang walked right by her.

"Hey." Ruby said.

"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Yang asked.

"You're not gonna believe this, but I ran into Jaune's sister." Ruby told them.

"Saphron is here?" Blake questioned, in surprise.

"Yeah, we met up with Jaune at the café, though it might have been better if we had shown up a few minutes earlier." Ruby told them.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"When we got there, Sun was already there, apparently Jaune had told him about what happened between him and Blake." Ruby said.

_"What?!" Blake thought, clearly panicked._

"Sun wasn't too happy about it." Ruby said.

Blake immediately broke into a run.

"Where are you going?!" Yang called out to her.

"I'm sorry, but I have to talk to Sun!" Blake told her.

Yang sighed and looked down at the picture that she had to return.

"So much for starting a conversation between the two of them." Yang said.

"Hey, Ruby, where are they now?" Yang asked.

"The last time that I saw them they were walking towards the woods." Ruby told her.

"Thanks." Yang said.

"See you at home!" Yang shouted, as she ran off.

It didn't take long for Yang to reach the entrance to the woods and as she approached the trail, she instantly noticed the other two people making their way through it.

"Hey." Yang called out to them.

Saphron turned around, while Jaune remained staring off in a different direction.

"Hey, I'm Yang." Yang said, while shaking Saphron's hand.

"Oh, so you're the Yang that ran away from him in terror and then broke into his house." Saphron said.

Yang blushed in embarrassment, while Jaune smirked at her reaction.

"Yeah, that's me." Yang said, nervously.

Awkward silence followed for about two minutes, until Yang approached Jaune and held out the photo.

"I believe this belongs to you." Yang said.

Jaune looked down and gently took the photo, holding it up to look at.

As he looked at that photo again, he was astounded at how much things had changed, for both the better and for the worse… mostly worse.

Still, he couldn't help but laugh a little, in hindsight.

_"When did it all get so ridiculous?" Jaune thought._

Jaune put the picture in his pocket and looked at Yang, at first looking serious and then smiling.

"Hey Yang, do you think we can stop by Blake's place tomorrow?" Jaune asked.

* * *

**Meanwhile, with Blake.**

Blake had attempted to call Sun at least ten times, all of which had failed.

As Blake made her way towards Sun's place, she stopped as she saw him sitting on a tree branch.

"Sun?" Blake said.

Sun jumped down and stood before Blake, looking at her with worry in his expression.

"Blake, I need to talk to you." Sun said.

Blake twitched, feeling anxious at the sound of Sun's serious attitude, something she had never seen from him or even thought that he was capable of.

"It's about Jaune." Sun said.

_"This is not going to end well." Blake thought._


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

After a little more time had passed, Yang parted ways with the two Arcs and went home, both eager and worried as a result of what tomorrow would bring.

Soon enough, Saphron had to say goodbye as well.

"Well, it's getting late, I have to get back home." Saphron said.

Saphron hugged Jaune.

"It was good to see you again." Saphron said.

Jaune smiled, thankful that he had made the right decision.

"Yeah, maybe next time you can bring Terra, I never got the chance to meet her before I left." Jaune suggested.

"Sure thing." Saphron said.

As Saphron got into her car and drove off, Jaune wondered how long it would be until he would see her again.

_"I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite." Jaune thought._

_"I'm upset that Blake went away for so long without talking to me and yet… I've done the same thing to them." Jaune thought._

While the circumstances had not been the same, this realization just added fuel to the fire.

_"I need to talk to Blake, but it's already too late for that." Jaune thought._

_"I'll just have to wait until tomorrow like I said." Jaune thought._

It was then that the anticipation and uneasiness began to set in.

"I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight." Jaune said, out loud.

* * *

**Later.**

Jaune had been right.

He had remained awake, thinking about Blake and the multiple ways his conversation with her could go.

Jaune would constantly play each scenario in his mind, from the best case, all the way to the worst case.

There was one other key factor as well.

Sun.

As Jaune paced around his room, he fell backwards onto his bed as he heard a noise.

He was getting a message from an unknown person.

Jaune looked at the number on the screen, curious as to who this was.

As Jaune opened it up, he read the words on the screen.

_"Yang gave me your number, this is Blake." Jaune read._

Jaune raised an eyebrow at this.

_"When did Yang get my number?" Jaune wondered._

Jaune sent her a message, asking her how she was doing, hoping for a quick reply.

A few seconds later, he received his answer.

_"I'm fine, I'm just shaken up a bit." Jaune read._

_"What happened?" Jaune messaged her._

* * *

**Earlier that day.**

As Blake and Sun stood outside, Blake couldn't help but feel stressed out.

"I talked to Jaune and he had some interesting things to say." Sun said.

Blake subtly breathed in, too nervous to exhale.

"I was wrong about him, the guy is bad news." Sun said.

It seemed that just that one statement had managed to snap Blake back into reality and almost completely take away her anxiousness.

Her worries were replaced with confusion and intrigue.

_"Jaune… bad news?" Blake thought._

She just couldn't picture it.

While it was true he was mostly a loner and that he could be cold at times, she could never picture him in such a bad light.

"He made up some story about some girl that the two of you knew." Sun said.

Just like that, the panic had set back in, causing Blake's heart to beat faster.

"How do you know it was made up?" Blake asked.

"Because he told me that after she passed away, you left him behind." Sun explained.

"I know you would never do that." Sun said.

Sun thought highly of her, despite her introverted nature.

"Anyway, he told me he was telling the truth but I didn't believe a word that he said." Sun said.

"I took care of it, but… I want you to stay away from him, I don't think he's safe to be around." Sun told her.

Blake gathered up whatever confidence she had at that moment and spoke.

"What if I did?" Blake asked.

"Did what?" Sun asked.

"Leave him like that." Blake said.

It didn't take long for Sun to realize what she had meant, as he instantly looked at her in shock.

"Blake… it's not true, is it?" Sun questioned, still slightly in disbelief.

Blake looked down out of guilt, nodding only slightly in order to say yes.

* * *

**Later.**

As Blake finished explaining to Jaune what had happened, a question came up that Jaune had expected.

_"How much did you tell him?" Blake messaged him._

_"Don't worry, I didn't tell him about that day with Pyrrha." Jaune messaged her._

Blake breathed a sigh of relief, not even wanting to imagine how Sun would react with that added detail.

_"I'm sorry if I messed things up between you and him though." Jaune apologized._

Blake wasn't sure how to respond and as a result she chose not to, working around it and just apologizing for another matter.

_"I'm sorry about whatever Sun did to you." Blake replied._

* * *

**Morning.**

Unfortunately for Jaune, Yang couldn't make it that day, however, she was kind enough to send him Blake's address.

_"It's alright, I already met up with her." Jaune tried to comfort himself._

_"Well, technically she just showed up and we didn't really get to have a conversation, but that doesn't matter right now." Jaune thought._

_"What matters is that we're able to communicate, that's all." Jaune thought._

Jaune knocked on the front door, only for it to be opened by a different woman from his past.

"Jaune?" She said, in surprise.

"Hello, Mrs. Belladonna." Jaune formally said.

Kali immediately opened the door wider and embraced him, hugging him tightly.

"It's been so long." Kali said, joyfully.

"Please, call me Kali." She insisted.

"Okay… Kali." Jaune said, awkwardly.

"Come on in." Kali welcomed him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, another author's note. It's been awesome writing this story and with only a few chapters left, I'd like to thank the readers, reviewers and everyone else out there. With that said, let's continue.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

As Kali poured the tea she had freshly brewed for Jaune into the cups sitting on the table, she looked at Jaune and smiled.

Kali had always liked Jaune and what he did for Blake.

_"She was always at her happiest when he was around." Kali thought._

"So, Jaune, it's been a long time, what brings you here?" Kali asked.

Jaune carefully lifted up his cup and sipped the tea before answering her.

"I came to see Blake, we started talking again recently." Jaune told her.

"How nice, you two were always so close, it was such a shame when you two drifted apart." Kali said.

"Yeah." Jaune said, with sadness in his voice.

_"She probably doesn't know." Jaune thought._

"Unfortunately, Blake had to step out for a moment, she said something about her friend, Sun." Kali told him.

Jaune had almost spit out his tea as she said Sun's name, which thankfully Kali hadn't noticed.

_"She's probably just trying to work things out with him… still, I hope that she'll be alright." Jaune thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Blake and Sun had been at the café for about ten minutes, sitting across from each other in a booth.

"Look, Blake, I get it, don't worry, I'm not angry, it's just… this is a lot to take in." Sun said.

"I know." Blake said.

Blake had remembered Jaune's initial reaction and found it interesting how similar the two of them were in that regard.

"One thing is for sure, I definitely owe Jaune an apology." Sun said.

"Speaking of which, I owe you one too." Sun said.

"What for?" Blake asked, in surprise.

"I should've been more understanding and I shouldn't have told you to stay away from him, I was only trying to protect you." Sun told her.

Blake looked at him, seeing the genuine care in his expression.

Blake smiled and placed her hand over his own.

"Thank you." Blake said.

Sun smiled back, but with a mischievous aura.

"You know I'm counting this as a date." Sun said, teasingly.

To both of their surprise, Blake simply chuckled at his remark.

"We'll see." Blake teased back.

* * *

**An hour later.**

As Blake returned home and entered the living room, she was surprised to find her mother and Jaune just chatting away.

"Blake, welcome home." Kali greeted her.

Blake was too preoccupied to respond, simply staring at Jaune who in turn was looking back at her.

Jaune stood up and approached her, only holding back a little bit since Kali was present at the moment.

"Can we talk?" Jaune asked.

"Sure." Blake responded, quickly.

Blake guided Jaune up the stairs to her room, with Kali following closely behind.

"Alone." Blake added.

Kali got the picture and returned to the living room.

Blake rolled her eyes and returned to guiding Jaune.

As Blake shut the door, Kali was quick to run up the stairs and rest her head against the door to listen in on their conversation.

_"There's no way I'm going to miss this." Kali thought._

Jaune took a seat on her bed while Blake stood across from him, trying to avoid eye contact.

"So… Sun says that he owes you an apology for what happened." Blake said.

Jaune awkwardly let out a chuckle.

"That's a relief." Jaune said.

_"Sun… what could he have done?" Kali wondered._

"Just tell him it's alright and that I understand." Jaune said.

"Besides, I'm glad that you have someone that cares for you that much." Jaune told her.

"Yeah." Blake said, blushing as she remembered what had happened earlier.

_"You know I'm counting this as a date." Sun words echoed in her mind._

"He's a lucky guy." Jaune said.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Well, judging from your expression, I can tell that you like him." Jaune said.

Blake's blush grew more intense while on the other side of the door, Kali was trying to hold back her laughter.

_"I'm not the only one who sees it." Kali thought._

"Maybe, but I'm not sure." Blake told him, with a sad tone in her voice.

Jaune knew that tone of voice all too well, the tone that lacked confidence.

_"Jaune may be right, but… these feelings are different from when I saw Jaune in that way." Blake thought._

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me." Jaune said.

"Speaking of which, what did you want to talk about?" Blake asked.

"It's not important anymore, after talking with you like this, I have my answer." Jaune told her.

"I wasn't sure how interacting with you would go, but now I know." Jaune said.

"It may still be awkward, but I realized that I would be making a mistake if I turned you away." Jaune told her.

"It's been a long time, but I could use someone to rely on again." Jaune said, with a small smile.

Blake looked at him, no longer intimidated by the thought of his gaze.

"The feeling is mutual." Blake replied, with a smile as well.

"Just promise me two things." Blake said.

"What would those be?" Jaune asked.

"The next time you go to visit Pyrrha, wait for me and take me with you." Blake requested.

"Sure thing, but what's the second?" Jaune asked.

"The next time you want to talk, we do it at your place where my mother can't eavesdrop on our conversation." Blake told him.

Kali's eyes widened upon hearing this and within seconds she had ran back downstairs, slightly embarrassed.


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Jaune had managed to keep his word and as soon as it had started to rain, he called Blake.

It had been a few days since they had their talk and since then the drama seemed to calm down.

No more secrets, at least for the most part and possibly, no more hiding.

Ruby had been trying to get Jaune to join them in their meet ups, but Jaune was hesitant, of course.

Blake certainly couldn't blame him, after all, she wasn't the most social person either.

However, Blake could still understand Ruby's determination and having Jaune around might make things easier.

As soon as Blake saw the rain begin to fall, she immediately set out for Jaune's house.

Her mind was clearly set on him, so much so that she had forgotten a few essential items.

_"She forgot her jacket and her umbrella." Kali thought, as she held the items in her hands._

Needless to say, by the time that she had almost made it there, she finally took notice.

Blake's body had started to react, causing her to shiver from the cold.

As the rain started to fall down even heavier, the wind started picking up, causing Blake to move much slower.

Blake had shut her eyes as the rain fell upon her face, still navigating her way towards Jaune's.

"Okay, next time, I'm taking a bus." Blake said.

Suddenly, the rain had been blocked from her face and a slight shade was looming over her.

Blake opened her eyes to see an umbrella over her head and Jaune standing there with a smirk on his face.

"You could've done that, or you could've just waited for me." Jaune said.

Blake bowed her head from embarrassment, to which Jaune slightly chuckled.

"Here." Jaune said, as he handed her a jacket.

"But, what about you?" Blake asked.

"I'll be fine, I've done this often, I just brought this spare jacket just in case and right now I'm glad I did." Jaune told her.

Blake happily accepted the jacket and put it on, instantly feeling a bit warmer as she did so.

"If you want, you don't have to stay out in this weather." Jaune said.

"No, I asked you if I could come with you and I intend to follow through, besides… it's something that I have to do." Blake told him.

Jaune nodded in understanding and walked along side her as they set out for the woods.

It didn't seem to take long, despite having to walk a little slower due to the weather.

As Blake approached that familiar trail, she stopped in her tracks.

Memories of that day played out in her mind, vividly showcasing Pyrrha.

"Blake." Jaune said.

Blake could barely breath, only moving slightly backwards as her mind was set back to reality.

Before anything else could happen, Blake suddenly found herself in a more comfortable environment.

Jaune had wrapped his arm around her, giving off warmth and comfort, which she desperately needed at this moment.

"It's alright, I know how you feel." Jaune whispered.

"Just take your time." Jaune said.

With every step she took, Blake's feelings of fear, guilt and worry would fade, until she saw that makeshift flag, Jaune had made.

Jaune looked at Blake, noticing drops of water fall down her cheeks, unsure of whether or not it was just the rain or her tears.

"I miss her too." Jaune said, as if knowing what Blake was thinking.

Blake held onto Jaune, moving in closer as she rested her head against him.

* * *

**Later.**

The two of them returned to Jaune's home, with Blake still freezing and clinging onto him.

"Try to relax, I'll start a fire." Jaune said.

Blake took a seat on the floor by the fireplace as Jaune returned with some matches.

As he lit the match and set the fire, Blake moved a bit closer, feeling relieved due to the heat.

'I'll call Kali and ask her to pick you up." Jaune told her.

"Kali?" Blake questioned, with an amused look on her face.

"She insisted that I call her by her first name." Jaune said.

"I know, I'm just messing with you." Blake said.

Jaune rolled his eyes and left the room once more to go make the call.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Kali had been waiting patiently, hoping to hear from Blake soon.

Kali was thankful as she heard the ringing and saw Blake's number on the screen.

"Blake?" Kali said.

"Not quite." Jaune answered.

"Jaune?" Kali said, in surprise.

"Hi, Kali." Jaune said.

"Jaune, where's Blake?" Kali asked.

"She's with me, we just hung out for a little while but the weather kind of got the better of her, I was wondering if you could come here and pick her up?" Jaune asked.

"Of course, I'll be right over." Kali said.

"Thanks, Kali." Jaune said.

As both of them hung up, Kali grabbed her keys and went to the front door, only for someone to already be standing there.

Kali yelped in shock, moving backwards and breathing heavily as she put her hand to her chest to check her heartbeat.

Kali looked up to see a friend of Blake's that she knew well.

"Yang." Kali said.

"Sorry about that, Mrs. Belladonna." Yang apologized.

"It's alright Yang, but what are you doing here?" Kali questioned.

"I came here to check on Blake, she told me that she talked to Jaune a while ago." Yang said.

"Yes, she's actually with him right now, I'm just going out to pick her up." Kali told her.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Yang asked.

"Not at all." Kali said.


	14. Chapter 14

**This is it, the last chapter for this story. It's been fun, I hope you've enjoyed it and I hope you'll enjoy my other RWBY stories, both old and the ones to come. With that said, let's finish this and once again, thank you.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of the characters, they are owned by Rooster Teeth._

* * *

Kali and Yang stood there on Jaune's doorstep, with awkward grins on their faces.

"You forgot to fill up your car?" Jaune repeated Kali's words in the form of a question.

"Yes, it appears we had just enough to get over here." Kali said, with a nervous chuckle.

Jaune sighed and lowered his gaze in disbelief before looking back up at them with an amused expression on his face.

"Make yourselves at home." Jaune said.

Jaune grabbed his jacket, his wallet and a spare canister.

"Jaune, what are you doing?" Blake asked.

"I'm gonna go get fuel, don't worry, I won't be gone long." Jaune told them.

As Jaune headed out, Kali and Yang went to warm themselves by the fire.

"So, Blake, Jaune invited you over to his place, I didn't realize that you two were so serious." Yang said, teasingly.

"Yang, don't start." Blake pleaded.

"Oh wait, that's right, I forgot, you're with Sun now." Yang teased further.

"I didn't realize that you had a thing for blondes." Yang said.

Blake blushed, glaring at Yang only for Yang to wink at her.

"Don't worry, Blake, I know it's a hard decision, but just remember… I'm taking whoever you don't pick." Yang continued on.

Kali watched in amusement, partially holding back her laughter.

"Yang, there's no decision to make." Blake said.

"So then you've already decided!" Yang said, excitedly.

"No." Blake replied.

"I haven't been interested in dating and with everything that's happened recently, it's only gotten more complicated." Blake said.

"My feelings for Jaune had passed a long time ago, but I still find comfort and safety with him." Blake admitted.

"As for Sun, I'm not sure how to feel." Blake told them.

Yang took a seat next to Blake and put her arm around her, resting her hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Sun is a good guy, I'm not saying to make him your boyfriend or anything, I'm just saying that if you can take a chance with telling Jaune the truth, why not take a chance with Sun?" Yang questioned.

It wasn't an unfair point that Yang was making, just not the most ideal when it came to Blake.

Kali smiled and nodded, agreeing with Yang before certain words in Yang's sentence caught Kali's attention.

"Blake." Kali said.

Both Blake and Yang looked at Kali, their moods shifting a little as they realized what Yang had said.

"What's this about telling Jaune the truth?" Kali asked.

Blake opened her mouth to speak but no words made their way out, only noise.

"Blake?" Kali asked, in concern.

As if done on cue to break the tension, the front door opened, with Jaune returning with a smile on his face.

"Alright, the car is ready to go." Jaune told them.

Both Blake and Yang subtly sighed in relief, thankful that Jaune had shown up when he did.

* * *

**The next day.**

Ruby and Sun were hanging out at the arcade, waiting for Weiss, Blake and Yang to show up.

"This whole thing has been crazy." Sun said.

"Yeah, it's weird how things can change so fast and you don't even realize how much when you're in the moment." Ruby said.

Sun was impressed how Ruby could hold a full on conversation and still keep her focus on the game she was playing.

"Ruby, you're going to strain your eyes if you keep staring so closely at that screen." Weiss said.

Ruby did a double take, as she hadn't realized that Weiss had shown up.

Apparently that was enough to distract her, as the game instantly had gone to a game over screen.

Ruby turned around, finding that Blake and Yang had arrived too.

"So, I take it that you invited that guy again." Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"His name is Jaune and yes I did, but… I don't think he'll ever show up." Ruby said, with a saddened tone in her voice.

It only took one second, but as Yang was about to agree, she looked up, seeing a sight to behold.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Yang said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Take a look." Yang said, as she pointed towards the front door.

Ruby looked over to where Yang was pointing, gasping in surprise.

As everyone else looked, they all had a similar reaction.

Jaune was there.

Jaune looked around the arcade, searching for a familiar face while trying to calm his nerves.

Jaune walked slowly trying to maneuver his way through the crowd.

"Jaune!" He heard someone call out to him.

Jaune recognized the voice as Ruby's.

Jaune turned to see the familiar group and a girl that he didn't recognize.

As Jaune approached them, Ruby rushed forward, bringing him into an embrace.

"You're finally here." Ruby said, with a smile.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late." Jaune said.

As Ruby let go, Jaune walked up to the girl he didn't recognize.

"Hi, I'm Jaune, it's nice to meet you." Jaune introduced himself.

Jaune extended his hand out for her to shake, only for her to look away.

"Okay then." Jaune said, clearly disappointed.

Jaune then walked over to Sun, still slightly intimidated by him.

To his relief, Sun extended his hand out to Jaune.

"So… are we cool?" Sun asked.

Jaune smiled and shook Sun's hand.

"Yeah." Jaune said.

Jaune then walked over to Yang, not sure on what to say to the blonde.

"Thank you." Jaune said.

It seemed that thanking her was the best option.

"No problem." Yang said.

Last but not least, there was Blake.

Jaune didn't say anything at first, simply bringing her into a hug.

Sun looked a bit jealous for a moment, until Yang talked to him.

"Relax, she's all yours." Yang whispered to Sun.

At the same time, Jaune had whispered something to Blake.

"It's good to have you back." Jaune whispered.

Blake held onto him a bit longer, only letting go when Ruby started speaking.

"Alright Jaune, this is your first time as part of the group, let's see what you've got in terms of games." Ruby challenged him.

"Bring it on." Jaune said.

As they were about to play, the familiar sounds that Jaune knew all too well surrounded them.

The group looked at the windows, seeing rain start to fall down.

Everyone looked at Jaune who just looked back at them with a smirk on his face.

"It looks like I'll have to take rain check on that one." Jaune told Ruby.

Yang grinned upon hearing this.

"You make puns?" Yang asked.

"That one was unintentional but yeah, they're funny." Jaune said.

Yang leaned over towards Blake in order to talk.

"I'm definitely calling Jaune." Yang whispered to Blake.

"I guess I'll see you next time, hopefully when it doesn't rain." Jaune said.

As Jaune ran out the front door, going to that forest he had visited so many times, he had a feeling of elation he had never even felt before.

For the first time in so long, he looked forward to both running through the rain and the sunny days ahead.


End file.
